There’s something strangely beautiful going on in Sandwich, Massachusetts.

Every 17 years, swarms of cicadas rain from the sky in Sandwich, and this summer happens to be the insects’ homecoming. The live buggers flit and flutter everywhere the eye can see, but dead ones pile up too as the cicadas’ life cycle peters out.

So what does one do with hundreds (thousands?) of dead cicada bodies? One makes jewelry, of course!

High schoolers Katheryn Maloney and Brady Cullinan have taken to collecting the dead (and only the dead) insects, lacquering them, dyeing them, then stringing them with beads to make earrings and necklaces. Don’t believe me? Check out these kids’ story in the Cape Cod Times. Click on the picture of the earrings for close-ups of their handiwork, then check out the video below.

Way to go, Katheryn and Brady! Thanks for demonstrating the beauty of nature, the spirit of entrepreneurship, and the everlasting appeal of jewelry!